Anonymous
Is your car A/C leaking refrigerant and need a full charge? 05/19/26(Tue)14:47:21 No. 2991663
Is your car A/C leaking refrigerant and need a full charge? 05/19/26(Tue)14:47:21 No. 2991663
Is your car A/C leaking refrigerant and need a full charge? Anonymous
05/19/26(Tue)14:47:21
No.
2991663
[Reply]
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File: Screenshot 2026-05-19 104237.png (121.7 KB)
I'm repacing a leaking high pressure hose and need to refill the a/c. This might upset the purist shop workers but I don't want to buy a vacuum pump for a one off repair so do you think using the engine's vacuum will work as seen here anons? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9UKHfQFwM8
I also have spare vacuum hoses and adapters on hand.
Showing all 27 replies.
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You hear that guy's accent? You should avoid doing anything shady in that video if you can avoid it.
You really want that vacuum as far as possible, close to 30 in-hg, and it doesn't look like the engine vacuum pulls to that level. You not only need to evacuate all air out of the system, but you need any moisture that got in to boil off and that takes time and really low pressure. If you're in the US, the pumps aren't that much online and if you don't do it right you'll have to replace the compressor before long because the oil will turn to shit.
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File: In his defense, Jack and Rose were up there far too long and they never said pwease and thank you.webm (2.9 MB)
>>2991666
Good to know satan. My work used to have some vacuum pumps laying around but I'll do another check since I've not seen them around lately.
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File: Go JD, Go! Pwease and Thank You.webm (3.7 MB)
>>2991691
>do you have an air compressor?
not on hand, no, don't really have space for it but I have one at work, I'll look into the drier too since I will have the ability to work on things with the refrigergrant empty
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File: Screenshot 2026-05-20 212304.png (598.4 KB)
Would intermittent hot and cold another car is having likely be the expansion valve? Also I know pic related is far from professional grade but will it get the job done?
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>wife complains her a/c is weaker than usual
>buy refill with guage
>refill, A/C works great
>3 days later it doesnt work at all
did i somehow cause a leak in the system? is it retarded to try another refill before dropping hundreds on a vacuum pump kit?
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>>2993949
If it was low before the leak occured before you refilled it, refilling may have made the leak worse by increasing the pressure in the system so now it's leaking faster. Gotta replace your seals likely
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>>2993949
a/c is a closed system, it should never need to be topped off; if the refrigerant is low, it has a leak.
buy the charge with UV dye, and then at night look at it with a black light and find out where it's coming from. Schrader valve (port) is a easy fix, but if it's the condenser or compressor, it's much more involved.
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>>2994051
>a/c is a closed system
a fridge with all connections being brazed pipe is a closed system. a car AC with hoses and gaskets looses a couple % refrigerant every year and not topping it off will seize the compressor within 10-20 years due to loss of lubrication cycling.
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>>2994101
there's no reason the gaskets should leak and no the system should never need to be topped off
t. 1994 honda accord with original r134a system on original charge, 2005 odyssey that I rebuilt in 2015 that still has full charge
the reason gaskets fail in a car engine is because they become vulcanized by the oil, that doesn't happen in an a/c system. home a/cs use the same kind of gaskets in 2026, they aren't expected to be regularly recharged either
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>>2994308
>there's no reason the gaskets should leak
it is called diffusion and ac maintenance is a regular inspection point
altough id say the majority is escaping through flex houses, since they have a million times the exposed surface area compared to gaskets
>still has full charge
how do you know? did you pump it out and weight it?